Page 69 of Redemption

Chapter 15

Rhea trembled against him, and he stared into her violet eyes trying to discern what was going on in her beautiful head. With a quick twist of her soft body, Rhea pushed her way out of his arms.

“You’ll need to have Jenkins clean and bandage the wound for a couple of days,” she said in a breathless voice. “You want to avoid infection.”

“Don’t change the subject,” he said with impatience as he watched her hands fumble with the bandages on the table. “I just proposed to you, and I think I deserve a response.”

“I’ll give you my answer if you tell me what you saw in your vision.” The provisional demand reminded him of Patience and the bargain he’d made with his sister. Nothing was going right in his life at the moment, and he gritted his teeth.

“Damn it, Rhea, don’t play games with me.”

“I’m not,” she said as she pulled in a deep breath then released it. “But if you want my answer, then you’ll have to tell me what you saw.”

“What I saw made no sense.” Unwilling to share the graphic nature of his vision for fear of frightening her, he tried to catch her hand in his, but she easily evaded him.

“Perhaps not, but it had to trouble you deeply, otherwise you wouldn’t be so stubborn about telling me what you saw.” There was a confidence in her voice that declared she knew the an dara sealladh had shown him something more than he was revealing. He shook his head.

“As I said, it didn’t make sense. There was no rhyme or reason to what the an dara sealladh showed me.”

“Then why not tell me? My experience as to how dangerous Ruckley truly is greatly exceeds your experience tenfold.” She eyed him with skepticism. “If you’re trying to protect me, don’t, and until you tell me what you saw, I’ll not answer your question.”

“Bloody hell,” he growled at the mutinous tilt of her lips. Her expression made him realize she wasn’t going to give way. Exhaling a loud whoosh of air, he glared at her. “I saw you entering a room with Ruckley, alone. There was a gunshot and blood—a great deal of blood.”

Percy didn’t try to soften the description. If she was so hell bent on knowing what he’d seen, then he’d make damn sure she understood why he believed she was in danger. Rhea paled at his harsh words, and he immediately regretted the manner in which he’d chosen to depict the images he’d seen. As she met his gaze, a sense of foreboding swept over him. It only increased the unease he’d been experiencing since they’d left Ashford’s office earlier this evening. Rhea shook her head and bit down on her lip.

“How many of your visions actually come to pass?” Her question made him hesitate before he grimaced and steadily met her gaze.

“Most of them, but not necessarily in the way I see it. But what I saw concerns me because it makes me believe you’re in danger.” At his harsh response, she reached for the bandages once more. Percy saw her hands tremble as she did so.

“Will it make you feel better if I promise not to take any unnecessary risks until Ruckley has been dealt with?” She lifted her head to meet his gaze steadily.

“Yes, that will make me feel better,” he said quietly. Percy caught her chin in his fingers and forced her to look at him. “I agreed to your terms, now it’s time to honor mine. Will you marry me?”

“What happened last night was my choice, Percy. I had no expectations,” she said in a quiet voice.

“That’s not an answer.” The terseness of his reply made her wince.

“Then let me be more concise. I won’t marry you.”

“That’s the wrong answer,” he bit out as he forced himself not to reach for her.

“Nevertheless, it’s the one I’m giving you.”

She’d refused him. Frustration ricocheted through him. He didn’t know why the fact surprised him. He’d known it would be difficult to convince her to accept his marriage proposal. He grunted with exasperation.

“You’re as stubborn as a mule,” he said as he reached for his shirt. It cracked in the air as he shook it out angrily before pulling it on. Percy saw her flinch, but at the moment he was too irritated to care.

“I know you’re trying to do the honorable thing—”

“Honor be damned,” he snarled as he hastily buttoned his shirt. “This is about wanting to wake up with you in my arms every morning.”

Eyes wide in her face, Rhea grew pale as she met his gaze, while something undefinable flickered in the violet depths of her eyes. Her expression softened as she stepped forward to touch his arm. It was an electric shock that sent a jolt through him.

“I think that’s something I would like very much,” she whispered. “If you made me your mistress it would solve our mutual dilemma.”

Stunned by her proposition, Percy stared at her with a sense of impending doom. Did she really think he cared so little for her that he would agree to such an arrangement? With unexpected clarity, he realized she did. Ruckley had convinced her she was undeserving of any man’s respect or the chance for lasting happiness. The bastard had done his work well, and it would be an uphill battle convincing her that Ruckley was wrong.

“I don’t want a mistress,” he said quietly. “I want a wife, and I want that wife to be you.”